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Ashby mourns a firefighting family

By Alana Melanson, amelanson@sentinelandenterprise.com

Updated:
02/20/2013 12:22:20 PM EST

Martens' Facebook Page
Michelle Martens' father, Walter Hansen, pins his own EMT badge on his daughter's uniform at the 2009 Ashburnham Fireman's Ball. Hansen retired about 15 years ago as assistant fire chief of the Ashby Fire Department, and his father, Thomas Hansen, also retired in the same position.

ASHBY -- The flag stood at half-staff and black bunting covered the front of the Ashby Fire Department on Monday, signaling one of their own had fallen.

Both people killed in a Sunday morning car crash in Fitchburg, as well as the injured male occupant of the other vehicle, had ties to the department.

Michelle Martens, 36, worked as a call firefighter-EMT for the past four years, and her son, Justin Fournier, 16, a junior at North Middlesex Regional High School, had just joined the department as an auxiliary member, according to Fire Chief William Seymour Jr.

The man driving the other vehicle involved in the crash, Wayne Patnaude, 55, of Ashby, is an Ashby firefighter, Seymour said. Patnaude has been a member of the department for 15 years, assigned to Ashby's tower ladder company, he said.

"We're all pretty devastated," Seymour said of the loss of Martens and Fournier. "It's a small-town department, and we're all very, very close. Very close-knit community."

He described Martens as an energetic woman who loved life, and said Fournier was excited to start his career as a call firefighter, and the department was equally happy to have him.

"He would've been the fourth generation in Shelli's family to be in the Ashby Fire Department," Seymour said. "We've had members of her family on the department since 1950 when her grandfather, Tom Hansen, joined the department.

According to Martens' mother, Terry Hansen, she aspired to be the first female assistant fire chief in the town, in keeping with a long family tradition. The Hansens were excited to see their grandson express an interest in following in those same footsteps.

"We were very proud of them," Walter Hansen said in an interview at his Erickson Road home, where family had gathered to mourn and support one another Monday afternoon.

SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / Alana Melanson
Black bunting adorns the Ashby Fire Department, with the flag flown at half-staff on Monday in mourning for call firefighter-EMT Michelle Martens and her son, Justin Fournier. Both were killed in a car accident Sunday morning in Fitchburg.

He was especially proud of Martens' work during the 2008 ice storm, when she was "out helping people stuck on the road, getting them out of harm's way."

Walter Hansen described his daughter as a free-spirited writer and artist who had a passion for helping others.

"She didn't like to live within the boundaries," he said. "She was always wanting to try new things -- no fear of anything, enjoyed trying everything."

Despite the difficulties of being a single mother, she was an "awesome" mom to her two children, Terry Hansen said as a black lab named Clyde, whom Martens had recently adopted, begged for affection.

"Jasmine and Clyde are going to live here now," Terry Hansen said, referring also to Martens' 12-year-old daughter.

She described Fournier as being much like his mother, always willing to help anyone in need. He loved playing basketball, riding dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles, and any activity outdoors, Walter Hansen said, such as camping and kayaking.

"Justin was a great young man with a kind soul," said North Middlesex Regional High School guidance counselor Chris Stellato. "He always had a smile on his face and was respectful to staff and his peers. He will be sadly missed by his friends and all who knew him in the community."

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families involved in this terrible tragedy," said North Middlesex Regional School District Superintendent of Schools Joan Landers.

She said the high school would be open from 8:30-11 a.m. today and throughout the week for any students or community members in need of counseling services, and that the district will be providing continued support when students return from their February break.

Seymour said he and Assistant Fire Chief Michael Bussell visited Patenaude at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester Sunday and he seemed to be doing OK; another group of Ashby firefighters visited the following day. He said Patnaude's worst injury in the crash was a crushed right heel, as well as a right arm injury and a minor skin injury on his head. Patenaude was still in the hospital awaiting surgery on Monday, Seymour said.

State police, Fitchburg detectives and the office of Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. are investigating the 10:30 a.m. accident on Ashby State Road in Fitchburg. According to a release from Early's office, a Kia Sportage carrying Martens and Fournier crossed the center line and struck the Chevy Silverado driven by Patnaude. Investigators have not determined who was driving the Kia.

The cause of the crash has yet to be released, but Seymour said icy conditions caused by heavy winds blowing snow into the road may have been a factor.

Seymour said he and Bussell visited with Fitchburg Deputy Fire Chief John Curran and confirmed that Martens and Fournier were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash and were ejected from the vehicle.

He said the Ashby Fire Department, as well as several other local fire departments, have offered to assist the family and the town in any way they can.

"Personally, it's really tough to digest what has happened," Seymour said. "But we have to continue on."

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